We had the good fortune of connecting with Nema Causey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nema, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I grew up working with my mother and father who started a candy distribution business in the late 70s. While working in the warehouse and hearing from customers how they wish there were more locations like my parents warehouse, I had the idea to open a retail location of selling candy in bulk which never existed in San Diego at the time. I made sure to color coordinate the aisles for an easy shopping experience and also brought in a few party supplies that customers needed in order to build a candy buffet. Candy buffets were huge at the time and still are till this day and there was never a one stop shop for all your candy buffet needs. I wanted to be that store where the customer was able to check everything off their list,

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
When my business was failing during the pandemic, I did what I could to survive. I started to film myself for social media by doing candy reviews and packing orders to grab the attention of potential customers. Going from a few thousand followers to over 1 million, putting myself out there and trying something new really helped me become more successful and more creative.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My parents Younan and Maysoon Hallak deserve the most recognition for my success. My mother supported my father through the hardest times and was always by his side throughout his career. She helped him make better business decisions and managed financials. Having four children didn’t stop her from working hard either as she rarely was ever home. We all went to work with her and she taught us to do small tasks in and around the offices to keep us busy. She really did a lot to help grow my fathers empire. With 2 kids of my own and one more on the way, her dedication to our father and hard work has helped me with my career and family and how to do both without running around with our heads cut off. For my father Younan Hallak, he has taught me everything I need to know about business and life. How to act, how to sell, how to respect and treat others, etc. He has given me all the power in the world for me to become a women business owner. Throughout all the obstacles I’ve gone through, he always had an answer on how to overcome it. Even when I didn’t want to listen, he always ended up being right. I lost my dad to cancer in 2021 and he made sure to let me know how proud he was of me and all of my successes. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without his guidance.

Website: CandyMeUp.com

Instagram: Instagram.com/candymeup

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/CandyMeUpUSA

Yelp: Candy me up

Youtube: Candy me up

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@candymeup?lang=en

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